Thursday, 31 January 2013

Bulgarian press are reporting Elitsa Todorova and Stoyan Yankoulov will make a return.They represented the country in Helsinki , back in 2007 and achieved 5th with Water.

Elitsa and Stoyan are the most successful Bulgarian entrants to date - it would be awesome to see them make a come-back... I have also heard that Sofi Marinova may return - but who knows? Maybe BNT will shock us! If you can speak Bulgarian, click here.Would you like to see them in Malmo? They have not much success in their homeland since the contest, although they got married in 2008. They are actually the only Bulgarians to have qualified for the final, all the others have failed so it would make sense if they were selected!

We will know if this is true or not on 10th February - the Bulgarian broadcaster will select their song on 3rd March, as the chosen artist/artists will present 3 songs to the Bulgarian public and the best one will win - hopefully... ^^

The Russian entry will be decided through an internal selection. Channel One confirms this through their official website, the also used this method in 2011...

In November, the Russian broadcaster called for songs and it appears they have had high interest - who will represent Russia? That will be decided very soon. As the artist and song should will be announced in a few weeks! Rumours say that Dima Bilan wants to return, but that isn't confirmed. Russia won't be holding a national final, shame as they are usually of a high quality. Who will follow Buranovskiye Babushki?

Wednesday, 30 January 2013

Some news coming from FYR Macedonia here! The song for Vlatko Lozanoski and Esma Redžepova is currently in working and will be ready for the end of February!

The Macedonian track will be called Opsesija which means Obsession, this still may be changed but it's likely to be called that. Macedonian press report the song is going to be "ethno pop" and an English version will also be made. It's already been confirmed that the duo will present their song in Macedonian in May. I am looking forward to it but it's going to be weird as they are two completely different singers, it could be a real gem! Simeon Atanasov, one Esma’s sons, has written it.

I'm delighted Esma will be singing for Macedonia, the queen of gypsy music...

Bulgaria is going internal! In one aspect, they will be selecting their artist internally but the song will come from a national final. The same method as the used in 2010, anyone remember Miro?

BNT will announce the act on 10th February, then the 3 competing songs will be released on 17th February! It appears Bulgaria are cutting down on their selection, like several countries, but maybe it's a good thing! After Valentina was selected for San Marino, could Sofi Marinova be back? Very unlikely but I would love that! She really should have made the final in 2012!

The final is due for 3rd March - which is proving to be a very busy night already! Who will Bulgaria send? Maybe Dess?

SMTV held a press conference this morning to announce their artist for this years ESC and...Valentina Montetta is going to represent the country once again! This is a shock, but a good shock...

It's a great choice... but the song is going to be wrote by Ralph Siegel. Is this a good thing or a bad? Valentina sung The Social Network Song Uh-Oh last year and failed to reach the final - but this year they are determined to make it! Siegel has been working with Valentina over the summer on a new jazz album and her ESC song will come from that - it's going to be called Crisalide.

She said that it's very different from her entry last year, as its a ballad with dance elements - it's no secret that she wants to sing it in Italian... How wonderful! I think San Marino will be awesome this year! Can they can finally get to the final, is this their year? No date for when the song will be released but it's expected for early March.

Tuesday, 29 January 2013

Zlata Ognevich will sing Gravity in Malmo but the song will undergo several changes. The composer has called readers of esckaz.com to help him with ideas of how this new arrangement should sound., then it will be recorded!

Mikhail Nekrasov has launched several pools where you can vote and give feedback! It's clear the song was rushed so it will be nice to hear a more relaxed take on it. Ukraine rarely disappointing so this should be good - and she does have an amazing voice.

Ukraine is the centre of drama when it comes the selecting their ESC track, but everything is going smoothly this year! Looking forward to it?

The draw has been drawn in Iceland! Now we know who will perform when this Saturday...

Magni will open the event whilst that tacky song from Unnur Eggertsdóttir will close it! Are you looking forward to the show? I'm shocked Yohanna and Erna won't be there... Here is the full running order:

RTS have confirmed that a total of 171 have been sent in for this years edition of Beosong - WOW!

Now the work begins for the Serbian broadcaster, as they must choose no more than 15 songs for the live shows! 15 songs will compete in the semi final, on the 2nd March then only 5 with will make it for the grand final - which is scheduled to be held the next day. The Serbian public will have an 100% say in the outcome!

According to Telegraf.rs, Željko Joksimović has entered the competition but this time as a composer. It's rumoured that many big names have entered the selection - the list will be released soon! Željko came 3rd in 2012 and 2nd in 2004 - he has also wrote several Balkan entries over the years, which have all done very well!

Monday, 28 January 2013

Melodi Grand Prix, the Norwegian selection has been pretty weak this year but one song is amazing - in my opinion anyways! It's called I Feed You My Love...

Margaret won the second semi final of MGP on Saturday and has gone straight to the top of iTunes! It seems the Norwegians are going crazy for her... I love it! I really hope Norway will select her - even though we still have one semi final to go - she is my favourite! If you click here and look for Norway, you can see she is leading!

Is this a sign the Norwegians are going to send her? I do hope so! Also she seems a favourite internationally, as many folks love her!... Oslo 2014? They have to select her first! <3

OK, maybe not Kate herself but the songwriters! I'm Not Alone has been online since 2011 apparently! According to eurovisionary the song has been available to download under a totally different name... OMG!

The songwriter(s) of I'm Not Alone didn't know the rules - which is a surprise as they wrote the Irish entry in 2011 and the Danish in 2009. This is an easy mistake but it does show that nothing is private these days as we have the internet... Eurosong.dk commented on the matter, saying...

"This is yet another example of how it in modern times is impossible
to avoid the songs appearing on the internet. We have changed the rules
in Denmark and we also got EBU to do the same thing. In every case we
now evaluate if the song have had a significantly advantage of being
available or not. I haven't looked closely into the Kate Hall-case, but I
believe she might have been allowed to participate anyway"

After a press conference this morning, STV revealed that Petra Mede will host the contest! Great choice Sweden...

It's the first time since 1995 the contest has only been hosted by one person alone! Petra also hosted Melodifestivalen back in 2009 - here is the reason SVT selected her...

"We wanted someone who had experience, humor, elegance and warmth"

The codename for her was "Harry Potter"... Can you see the resemblance? LOL! I think it's an amazing decision - she will be a wonderful host! Petra is also a high profiled comedian in Sweden so do you think it's a good decision? I do! Now the ESC season has really kicked of with a national final every weekend until the deadline passes... Happy days!

..and even more names are going to be confirmed very soon. The competing songs will be released 4th February, and judging by the artists - it's going to be of a very high standard! Apparently, an immediate favourite in Greece is Aggeliki Iliadi...

Tomorrow morning, SVT are going to hold a press conference where the 2013 host will be announced! It's already been confirmed there will only be one person who will host the event!

Who will have the honour? The favourites with the bookies are Sarah Dawn Finer and Måns Zelmerlöw, also it seems there's a good chance Pär Lenström or Carola (2006). Who do you want to see the contest hosted by? I don't think it will be Gina Dirawi and Danny Saucedo as their hosting Melodifestivalen! Personally I hope it's Sarah Dawn Finer aka Lynda Woodruff, she would be an amazing host - Europe loves her! However I have feeling SVT will announce someone we were not expecting at all...

Saturday, 26 January 2013

Three more acts have made the final in Norway! They are all much better than last weeks sad bunch...

My favourite is by far Fjellfolk! This is what the Norwegians do best... mystical ballads! Three women qualified tonight, they are all better than expected! I think Norway is really weak this year overall... but Fjellfolk or Margaret Berger can save it for me! Alexander Rybak composed Annsofi's song but she only came 3rd - I can't see that winning, a little disappointing! BTW - is that Marija Serifovic in the purple?

I wonder if they will be even better next week? Here are the lucky ladies...

After an amazing show from the Danes, I caught up with the results from Iceland! And... I'm really shocked, Erna didn't make it to the final - she had the second best song in the whole selection!

But on a more positive note... Magni Ásgeirsson has got the wildcard and will compete in the grand final! I felt his vocals were not up to scratch but I'm sure he can improve... I thought Yohanna was going to get that - but thankfully not! Now I'm even more certain Brigitta will win, and the song is growing on me! Here are the qualifiers, they are all very poor...

I swear my heart stopped when waiting for those results! Mohammed almost won... But the Danes saw sense and sent the amazing Emmelie de Forest! I'm so pleased with Denmark...

The jury were torn between Emmelie and Mohammed - Simone came a rather respectable 3rd place. Thank you all for following my live-stream... Brinck won't be returning this year for Denmark - I'm not too upset about that but I bet he is! Kate Hall didn't make the top 3... It's a good song but I can see why it didn't do well! Normally the Danes don't announce the results from 4th - 10th, so I'm going to image Kate came 4th! ^^

It was a really good show in my opinion! Are you pleased with the results? Here is the top 3...

Emmelie de Forest – Only Teardrops

Mohamed – Unbreakable

Simone – Stay Awake

The last time I liked a Danish entry was in 2009... Only Teardrops is a really special song, and it has hints of Irish in it! She actually works in a bakery -take a look her! Watch it here... <3

22:39 - Mohammed and Emmleie get the same amount of points from the jury...

22:29 - Johnny Logan is up now! He gives an amazing perforance of Hold Me Now... I love it, so do the Danes juding by their reaction... ^^

22:25 - Brotherhood of Man are performing now... It's wonderful! A true goldie oldie, as we would say here in the UK!

22:24 - The results are coming soon...

22:17 - I really think Mohammed has this now... :(

22:09 - Goosbumbs.... <3

22:06 - I have just realised that Brinck didn't make it... LOL! What do you think of these results? They are currently talking to some guy in the audience! The show will be over soon... :(

22:01 - They will all perform again... WONDERFUL! It's between Simone or Emmelie for me... <3

21:57 - MOHAMED ALSO ENTERS TO TOP 3...

21:55 - EMMELIE IS IN THE TOP 3, YES!

21:54 - SIMONE IS IN THE TOP 3!

21:51 - Talk about auto-tuning... Gosh!

21:45 - We are being treated to Soluna Samay, well I say treated... ^^

21:40 - An AWESOME show! I'm going to get something to eat now and see y'all for the results! Who will win? Emmelie please... <3 Or Simone Kate Hall! ^^

21:38 - Mohamed- Unbreakable
This is the favourite to win in Denmark, and I can see why! It's a pretty good song and a great ending to an awesome show! His vocals are not amazing but it is a hard song... Will it win? Maybe, it'll be in the top 3 anyway... 8/10!

21:34 - Albin-Beautiful to me
To be honest, I wasn't expecting much but it was amazing! Sometimes live versions are better than the studio recording. Bryan Rice co-wrote it (he tried in 2010). I think this will do well but it's not gonna win... 6/10

21:30 - Emmelie de Forest- Only Teardrops...

I LOVE IT! It's a beautiful song, performed amazingly - she has an outstanding voice. If Denmark don't send this, I will be really disappointed with them! It gives me chills... 10/10 <3 SEND IT DENMARK!!!!!!

21:24 - Jack Rowan feat. Sam Gray- Invincible
I can see why people like this but for me, it's nothing special! Why the hell is he wearing that stupid mask? It does have something but it's far too over produced - if that makes any sense! Will it represent Denmark? Nah... I don't like it anyways! 3/10

21:14 - Simone- Stay Awake
At first I didn't get the hype with it but now I love it! It's an amazing song, she gives a wonderful performance and I would love to see it winning! The audience seems to love it too but will it make the top 3? I'm sure of it... 9/10 <3

21:07 - Daze- We own the universe
I like it more now than I did from the studio version... It's sounds very Swedish and I actually think this could be a dark horse! Good vocals and a stunning performance! I really like it - watch this one... 7/10

21:02 - Louise Dubiel- Rejs dig op
I'm
in the minority here... I hate it! The worst song by far - the
performance is stupid and the song is just pure annoying! I hope this
wont do well but because I don't like it... It is likely to do well! I'm
guessing this won't be the Danish entrant for 2013... It's in Danish, so that's nice! 3/10

20:59 - They are now talking to Johnny Logan...

20:57 - Kate Hall - I'm not alone!
Another favouirte of mine... She is wearing a red dress and looks stunning! Her voice isn't too bad, sometimes it's more fun when they lack in the vocal area! It's similar to the Hungarian entry from 2011! I predict this will finish just outside of the top 3... 7/10

20:52 - Brinck- Human
He's back! But not as strong as his 2009 entry... I can't see this doing well to be honest. It's boring and his stage performance gives me nothing...Apparently he is also very arrogant so we will find out when he looses... His voice is good but it really lacks something... 5/10

20:45 - Frederikke Vedel- Jeg har hele tiden vidst det!
A wonderful start to the contest! There are only 2 Danish songs tonight, and this is one of them! I really like it and she does delivers an awesome performance - her vocals are spot on! Cool stage performance too. Can Frederikke win tonight? I doubt she'll even make the top 3... 8/10!

20:35 - The acts are now being welcomed to the stage!

20:33 - Here are our wonderful hosts!

20:31 - The show is just about to start! At the moment we have 3 children singing the Eurovision anthem...Opps sorry - about 30 children!

20:25 - This is what's happening back stage... 5 minutes until the show will begin! YAY!!

20:18: I wish they would hurry up already and get on with the show! :D

20:12 - We now hear from Thomas G:son - the guy who had a song everywhere in 2012, including Euphoria...

20:01 - Soluna Samay is now being interviewed! Who will follow her?

19:47 - This stream works well for me! It's 20:30 CET the show starts, at 20:00 CET there is an introductory program or something... ^^

19:04 - Iceland and Norway are holding their semi finals tonight! I will update after Denmark, if I'm still awake...

18:57 - Tonight I will be doing a live-stream of the Danish selection! Who is your favourite? I know the show isn't for some time yet, it starts at 20:00 CET! Hope you can all follow this tonight, as I did have fun doing Switzerland back in December...

The Cypriot broadcaster, CyBC, is going to announce their representative this Monday! It was originally reported Valanto Tryfonos would have the honour, but that was a false alarm...

Who will it be? My guess is Despina Olympiou, and that wouldn't be a bad choice either - she really has a good voice! It seems the song has also been recorded and it's an awesome ballad - very emotional indeed! Despina Olympiou would be a wonderful choice for Cyprus...

But lets wait for Monday, and see if this is confirmed, knowing the Cypriots they will announce it's someone completely different...

Tonight is the Danish national final! YAY - It's going to be one heck of a show! DMGP is one of the best national final, well for me anyway! 10 acts will fight to represent the beautiful country in Malmo...

Frederikke Vedel - Jeg har hele tiden vidst det

Brinck - Human

Kate Hall - I’m Not Alone

Louise Dubiel - Rejs dig op

Daze - We Own the Universe

Simone Egeriis - Stay Awake

Jack Rowan feat. Sam Gray - Invincible

Emmeliede Forest - Only Teardrops

Albin – Beautiful to Me

Mohamed – Unbreakable

The line-up is very strong! My favourites are Emmelie de Forest, Kate Hall and Brinck but I wouldn't be too disappointed with Mohammed or Frederikke Vedel either! I'm really looking forward to this one!

Who will follow Soluna Samay? Could Brinck represent Denmark once again? Could a Danish song win? So many questions! Here is a recap...

Magni Ásgeirsson didn't make the it, such a shame - it was a wonderful song! Also Johanna didn't qualify - *SIGH*! Brigitta was better live than the studio version but still... I'm not impressed! Iceland will select their entry 2nd February.

For me, this should be representing Iceland!

She pulled it off live...

I think this will be the Icelandic entry, I really do...

Will they select this? I doubt it, but it is good...

And the other surprise qualifier... I'm disappointed in you Iceland! :(

Remember her who won ESC in 1999? Well she is pregnant! It's not her first either, she already has twins with her ex-husband! So she didn't just eat to much food at Christmas (that did make me laugh Life After Helsinki! LOL).

She is having her third child with Anders Jensen - and they are both very exited! Charlotte represent Sweden in 1999, 2008 and tried in 2012 but didn't even make the Melodifestivalen final! She is also following in the steps of Patrica Kaas, as she's launching her own perfume!, which is ironically called The Girl! Congratulations to them both!

She is the Gir-ir-irI, she got lost.... But she's ready to be found again... ^^

Amandine Bourgeois was selected a few days ago to represent France this year, but the French people are not happy with this...

France3 revived several applicants, including one from Anne Maire David, but the French are still not impressed with Amandine! Sigh... I think she's a wonderful singer and I just can't understand why people don't like her... France is going to be awesome this year - I just have a feeling - but her song must be good! Look at Anggun, everyone went crazy when she was chosen but Echo (You and I) was a disappointment... Let's face it! She won from Nouvelle Star (French version of Pop Idol) but after releasing two albums, Amandine has had little success.

The French track is called L’enfer et moi, which translates as Hell and Me. Apparently, it has a retro feel and is not a ballad - no date has been announced for when the song will be released, hopefully soon. Eurovision could be a new stepping stone for her. She actually reminds me of Anouk - that's never a bad thing...

Thursday, 24 January 2013

It's 100% official... Heilsarmee will represent the Swiss in Malmo, as they will change their name and outfit...

This means Carrousell won't get the honour, which is a shame, damn... Apparently they was all strongly against changing their name, especially the 94 year old, but after deliberations the decision has been made to participate under a different name - this was only decided recently!

They are still undecided regarding what to call themselves! They will also wear something else in Malmo! So are you pleased with this decision? I can;t understand what all the fuss was about, personally...

RAI has confirmed that the Italian representative will be selected by a special jury, at Sanremo!

It's likely that only the artist will be chosen at Sanremo, like Nina Zilli in 2012, and then song will be released at a later date! The 2013 representative can be chosen from either the established selection or the newcomers. Who will follow Nina Zilli? I hope they will sing in Italian this year... Here is the list of participants:

Wednesday, 23 January 2013

Neda Ukraden is has confirmed she will compete in this years edition of Beosong! If you haven't heard of her, she is a 62 year old grandmother but also a Serbian diva!

We can be sure this is no rumour as she has confirmed it herself here! Now she believes she has the right to represent her country in Malmo, I believe this can be another wonderful choice for Serbia! The Serbians rarely disappoint me with their entries, and I think 2013 will be no exception! Her friends think she would be another babushka is chosen...LOL!

She's gonna be one heck of a diva! RTS will announce all the contestants for Beosong soon...

Goran Topolovac has written this years Croatian entry and has confirmed it's as slow yet romantic song - of the Klapa genre!

The song is about a man who has fallen in love with a woman, he loves her and he adores her! The performers are yet to be announced but when HRT finally select them, the entry will be reveled to the public! Goran Topolovac public admits he wants Tedija Spalata to sing his song in Malmo...

The reason Goran sent Mižerija into the Croatian selection because his friends urged him too! I'm looking forward to this... ESC needs some tradition! Looking forward to it? ^^

Next Wednesday SMTV will announce their representative in Malmo - we know this, but the song was also supposed to be released then too, but now it appears we won't get to hear it until a later date!

We will hear the title of the song but won't get to hear it - according to my friend at ESCWebs. Several names are being rumoured like: Lys Assia, Lidia Fusaro and Miodio - but who knows? I really have no idea! I love San Marino and I hope they will have an awesome entry and make the grand final!

The announcement will be at 11:00CET next week... Their entry will be revealed in late February or early March! Could Lidia Fusaro have the honour?

Alexey Vorobyob, the Russian representative from 2011, has been seriously hurt in a car accident over in the United States of America! His is fighting fr his life and has been taken to hospital.

Alexey has had serious brain injury and several other injuries - which are life threading! He is currently in intensive car! I hope he will recover soon and he will be OK! Alex came 16th for Russia in Dusseldorf... I will keep you updated with his condition!